The Wolfgang Press — Kansas

JUL 01 1989 · 12:00

The Wolfgang Press — Kansas (1989) Era: Late 4AD Post-Punk / Funk Crossover (1988–1989) - Second single from Bird Wood Cage, released 30 January 1989 on 4AD (BAD 902); sits at the transitional cusp between UK indie post-punk and alternative dance funk, bookended by Flood-produced studio ambition and the emerging rave/sample culture that would reshape the band on Queer (1991). High curatorial value as a documented artifact of the 4AD promotional video catalog at a pivotal transitional moment for the label and the band. 'Kansas' bridges the label's gothic post-punk era and its early-1990s dance-influenced output, and the video's preservation in multiple 4AD VHS compilations confirms its canonical status. As a rare surviving promo for a single with no publicly credited director, it also represents a significant gap in music video production history documentation, making it a priority for archival annotation and further provenance research. Context: Released on 4AD on 30 January 1989, 'Kansas' was the second single from Bird Wood Cage, The Wolfgang Press's third studio album and their most critically celebrated. The album was produced by Flood — who would go on to produce U2's Achtung Baby — and represented the band's bold pivot toward wah-wah funk, female backing vocals, and dub-reggae textures while retaining the post-punk austerity that defined the 4AD label's identity. The Wolfgang Press occupied a unique position in late-1980s British alternative culture: rooted in the post-punk lineage of Rema-Rema and Mass, yet presaging the industrial dance and alternative funk that would explode in the early 1990s. The 'Kansas' video's inclusion in both the 4AD 13 Year Itch VHS (1993) and the All Virgos Are Mad VHS (1994) signals its elevated status within the label's self-curated visual canon. Director notes: The 'Kansas' music video was released in conjunction with the single on 4AD (BAD 902, 30 January 1989), the second single from the album Bird Wood Cage (1988), produced by Flood and The Wolfgang Press. The video was included on the 4AD Presents the 13 Year Itch VHS (1993) and the All Virgos Are Mad VHS (1994), indicating it was considered a canonical 4AD promotional artifact. No behind-the-camera credits for this specific video are documented in any publicly accessible source consulted.